NID services, birth registrations: One authority to serve them all

The government is planning to streamline vital citizen services by bringing National Identity cards, birth and death registrations, and other essential services under a single authority.

According to a draft ordinance prepared by the Cabinet Division, a dedicated body will be established to oversee NID cards, birth and death registrations, marriage, divorce, and adoption records, as well as determining causes of death.

The draft also proposes the implementation of a robust unique ID system, integrating it with various service delivery processes. Officials said the Cabinet Division reviewed the draft during a meeting on Monday.

This initiative aims to reduce public hassles and enhance service efficiency, said officials.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin yesterday said that NID services should remain under the Election Commission. "We are preparing for a national election. I don't think any hasty decision will be made in this situation."

"Our commission has an opinion … There will be more meetings. We will present our views there and also submit them in writing," he said while talking to reporters at the EC office yesterday.

Cabinet Division officials said that they prepared the draft aiming to streamline and synchronise the civil registration processes that are now being overseen by different bodies.

The draft ordinance said that the name of the separate entity would be Civil Registration Commission. It will be a five-member commission and one of them will be its chairman. A commissioner should be female.

Currently, NID-related services are being provided under the Election Commission, which has developed the NID database containing information of 12 crore citizens aged above 18.

NID services encompass issuing secure national identity cards to citizens, overseeing related activities, maintaining a national citizen registration database, and delivering identity verification services to qualified public and private organisations.

A fully-fledged NID wing was established following the passage of the National Identity Registration Act 2010. Bangladesh launched NID cards with photographs in 2007-2008, as part of updating the voter list.

The Directorate of Registration under the Law and Justice Division deals with the marriage and divorce data while the Directorate General of Health Services collects health data, including causes of death.

A new Birth and Death Registration Act was passed in 2004. The law allowed local government bodies and Bangladesh embassies abroad to register births and deaths. The Office of the Registrar General of Birth and Death under the Local Government Division was established in September 2013 to establish a permanent central database of birth and death records.

The authorities so far have issued birth certificates to at least 16.80 crore people. Birth registration is free if it is done within 45 days of a child's birth. For getting death certificates, children of deceased person should notify the authorities within 45 days of death.

Birth registration is needed for enrolment in educational institutions, registration for secondary school certificate examinations, applying for NID, passport, and driving licence.

Zahid Hossain, registrar general (Birth and Death Registration), told The Daily Star, "I believe that bringing NID and birth registration under one umbrella will expedite the delivery of citizen services."

An interim government adviser told The Daily Star yesterday that several advisers are in favour of keeping the NID activities under the EC.

Shipping Adviser Brig Gen (retd) Sakhawat Hussain, who is also a former election commissioner, told this newspaper that they would look into the matter when the draft ordnance is placed before them.

Earlier in May 2021, the government took an initiative to shift services relating to NID cards to the Security Services Division under the home ministry from the EC.

Ignoring objections of EC officials, the National Identity Registration Bill was passed in parliament in September 2023. The bill aimed to transfer the national identity registration operation from the EC to the home ministry's Security Services Division.

The interim government in mid-January repealed the new law paving the way for returning the NID services to the EC.